A Step-by-Step Guide to

the WISHA Lifting

Calculator
The WISHA Lifting Calculator is a very effective and practical risk assessment tool
for manual material handling tasks. Developed by the Washington State
Department of Labor and Industries, this lifting calculator is very simple in design
and application.

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The WISHA Lifting Calculator is an adaptation of the Revised NIOSH Lifting
Equation (1,2), which is based on scientific research on the primary causes of
work-related back injuries. It can be used to perform simple ergonomic risk
assessments on a wide variety of manual lifting and lowering tasks and can also
be used as a screening tool to identify lifting tasks which should be analyzed
further using the more comprehensive NIOSH Lifting Equation.

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The WISHA Lifting calculator has some limitations in that it uses less precise
measurement of lifting task variables and does not include the Vertical Distance
(D) traveled or Coupling (C) components of the NIOSH Lifting Equation.

WISHA Lifting Calculator Outputs:

Weight Limit: Answers the question… “Is this weight too heavy for the task?”

The primary output of the WISHA Lifting Calculator is the Weight Limit (or Lifting
Limit), which defines the maximum acceptable weight (load) that nearly all healthy
employees could lift or lower, given the task variables of the lifting task being
evaluated, without increasing the risk of lifting related musculoskeletal disorders
(MSD).

Lifting Index (LI): Answers the question… “How significant is the risk?”

A Lifting Index (LI) is calculated to provide a relative estimate of the level of

physical stress and MSD risk associated with the manual lifting tasks evaluated. A
Lifting Index value of 1.0 or less indicates a nominal risk to healthy employees. A
Lifting Index greater than 1.0 denotes that the task is high risk for some fraction of
the population. As the LI increases, the level of injury risk increases
correspondingly. Therefore, the goal is to design all lifting jobs to accomplish an LI
of 1.0 or less.

Uses of Weight Limit and Lifting Index:

The Weight Limit and Lifting index can be used to guide or engineer lifting task
design in the following ways:

1) The task variables used to calculate the Weight Limit can be analyzed to
identify specific weaknesses in the design. For example, lifting with a horizontal

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reach over 12” or from the floor or above shoulder height significantly increases
injury risk.

2) The Lifting Index can be used to estimate the relative injury risk from manual
material handling for a certain task or job. The higher the Lifting Index, the smaller
the percentage of workers capable of safely performing these job demands. Using
the Lifting Index, ergonomic risk of two or more job designs can be compared.

3) The Lifting Index can also be used to prioritize ergonomic improvement and
redesign efforts. Job task risk can be ranked by the index value and a control
strategy can be implemented based on a priority order of individual lifting tasks or
jobs.

ErgoPlus WISHA Lifting Calculator

We have developed a cloud-based WISHA Lifting calculator as a part of our

ErgoPlus Industrial platform that can be used to efficiently conduct a WISHA
Lifting assessment, calculate the score and save your results. The task variables
are simply selected or entered into the calculator fields. When the “calculate”
button is pressed, the Weight Limit and Lifting Index (or Risk Index) outputs are

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automatically calculated and can then be saved to your database. You can check
out the application here: ErgoPlus Industrial

Using the WISHA Calculator

To prepare for the assessment using the WISHA Lifting Calculator, you will first
need to gather information about the job, interview supervisors and workers, and
observe workers performing lifting and lowering tasks.

Selection of the lifting tasks to be evaluated should be based on the most difficult
and demanding lifting or lowering tasks, such as the heaviest objects lifted from
the most awkward positions (for example; below knees, above shoulder, and/or
farthest reach).

If the job involves lifting of various objects with several different weights and/or
from a few different locations, we recommend: 1) Analyze the two worst case
lifts—the heaviest object lifted, and the lift performed in the most awkward
posture. 2) Analyze the most commonly performed lift, using the frequency and
duration for all the lifting done in a typical workday.

Measure & Enter Task Variables

Task variables needed to calculate the Weight Limit and Lifting Index when using
the WISHA Lifting Calculator:

1) Weight

2) Vertical Hand Position

3) Horizontal Hand Position

4) Frequency

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5) Duration

6) Twisting

Here are some quick explanations and guidelines that you can use to gather the
needed measurements for the WISHA Lifting Calculator:

1) Weight – Determine the actual Weight of the object being lifted. Often, you can
obtain the weight of the load from labeling on the object or from company
production or shipping records. If necessary, use the nearest scale in the facility
to determine the exact weight of any load being lifted. You will usually be able to
find a scale in shipping and receiving departments. If the weight of the load varies
significantly, you should obtain the average and maximum weights lifted.

2) Vertical Hand Position – Determine the Vertical Hand Position of the employee’s
hands relative to the knees, waist, and shoulders of the worker as they begin to
lift, lower, or place the object. The Vertical Location has four selection options; 1)
Below Knee, 2) Knee to Waist, 3) Waist to Shoulder, or 4) Above Shoulder

3) Horizontal Hand Position – Determine the Horizontal Hand Position by

measuring the distance between the point projected on the floor directly below
the mid-point of the hands grasping the object (load center), and the mid-point of
a line between the toes. Note: This method differs from the NIOSH Lifting
Equation, which measures the distance between the mid-point of the hands (or
load center) and the mid-point of the inside ankle bones. You will select one of the
following three options: 1) 0-7” = Near, 2) 7-12” = Middle, or 3) >12” = Extended

4) Frequency – Determine the average number of lifts per minute of the lifting task
being evaluated, this is the lifting frequency. This information can often be verified
by asking for average production rates from a group leader, supervisor, or
production manager. You can also accomplish this by determining the number of
lifts per minute during a short 15-minute sampling or observation period. You will
select the closest of the five options given in the calculator.

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5) Duration – Determine the lifting duration as classified into one of three
categories: 1) 1 hour or less, 2) 1 – 2 hours, or 3) 2 hours or more.

6) Twisting – Determine the degree to which the body is required to twist or turn
during the lifting task. The twisting angle is the amount (in degrees) of trunk and
shoulder rotation required by the lifting task. Note: Sometimes the twisting is not
caused by the physical aspects of the job design, but rather by the employee
using poor body mechanics. If this is the case, no twisting (0 degrees) is required
by the job. If twisting is required by the design of the job, determine if theirs is
less than 45 degrees or more than 45 degrees. And don’t forget to train the
workplace athlete to use proper body mechanics to avoid unnecessary twisting!

After task variables are determined, you will simply enter the data into the
calculator and push the “Calculate” button for the results of the assessment.

Example 1 – DC Lifting Task

Step 1: Determine and Record Task Variables

The workplace athlete lifts and transfers boxes of product in in the shipping
department of a distribution center. The variables for this example are as follows:

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Weight of Load = 32 pounds

Vertical Hand Position = Below knee

Horizontal Hand Position = Extended (greater than 12”)

Frequency = 1 lift every minute

Duration = 2 hours or more

Twisting = Less than 45 degrees

Step 2: Calculate Results

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Example 2 – Parts Rack Stocking

Step 1: Determine and Record Task Variables

The workplace athlete lifts parts containers to stock an assembly line parts rack.
The variables for this example are as follows:

Weight of Load = 43 pounds

Vertical Hand Position = Above shoulder

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Horizontal Hand Position = Extended (greater than 12”)

Frequency = 2-3 lifts every minute

Duration = 2 hours or more

Twisting = Less than 45 degrees

Step 2: Calculate Results

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